Microsoft Dynamics CRM

There are a number of different benefits to CRM software, and one of these being how it helps to manage the sales funnel. A new article in the Smart Data Collective has highlighted some of the ways that it does so, and we're going to take a closer look here:
It records all of the interactions
CRM software enables the company to build a definitive repository for customer contact data, meaning that it can in effect replace three things: the company's individual contact list and address book, the main marketing database and the resolving issues database. All three can be monitored from one place.
It provides a pipeline to follow
If it's been configured properly, then the CRM software used s... [More]

I recently posted an article on socializing your business with CRM and what CRM could be defined as http://blog.mycrmgroup.com/post/2013/10/21/Does-socializing-your-business-mean-good-CRM.aspx in this post from Hospitality Technology the author highlights some key points to be considered.
Customer relationship management remains one of the most valuable modern marketing tools, and utilising social data plays a key part in its success. This new article has highlighted some of the ways that social strategy can be improved or deployed effectively.
Have a real strategy
It's important for social promotion to have some sort of brand message, as well as an end-goal. For some companies, this coul... [More]

Over the next few weeks we will be releasing versions of our product range for #CRM2013 and following on from our release of eMap last week http://blog.mycrmgroup.com/post/2013/11/05/Using-Maps-to-find-your-way-in-CRM-2013!-EMAP-2013-RELEASED.aspx
We are now ready for the next solution:
Popular since CRM 4.0, our ePDF solution is now fully compatible with Microsoft CRM 2013. Below are a number of screen shots that walk through the process of quickly converting a record to a PDF attached to a CRM email.
For the purpose of this overview of the ePDF functionality we have used the quote record, but ePDF can be added to nearly all CRM entities that have a report, including custom entities.
Fi... [More]

A CRM system can have a number of positive impacts on almost any company. However, it is important that before a system is invested in, certain key questions are asked of it:
Is it easy to use onboard?
It is important to make sure that one, intuitive cross-referencing tool is used in order to allow that offline customer data is used in order to increase the online audience. This should be do-able in an immediate, genuinely actionable way.
How compatible is the system?
It is important for a CRM system to be able to link up effectively with other data and tools. Therefore, whatever particular apps a company considers essential, whether it is advertising click data or shop... [More]

After doing some research and reviewing a number of articles including this new piece on CIO.com, I just thought I‘d take the opportunity to cover off some of the key processes and areas that a good implementation of CRM can be used for.
The article on CIO talks about 3 key areas and explores the CRM sector in a different way. Essentially, it looks at three ways in which an effective CRM system can help to improve a company's business processes. But from experience and understanding what CRM systems can be used for I’ve taken the opportunity to add what is missing. A CRM system implemented correctly is and can be so much more.
The first three points below are correc... [More]

A new article by the smart data collective has sought to analyse what makes certain nuggets of information valuable. The results are quite interesting, as they argue that size has nothing to do with value. Here are some of the key takeaways from the piece:
Evaluate content
Business interactions vary substantially. On some occasions someone may be a customer and at other times they might simply offer consultation. That means that context is important in terms of CRM. For instance, to many firms, an insurance agent represents an outgoing but to a few specialist companies, they are a customer. It is important to remember that there is not one single definition of... [More]

A new survey has shed light onto the attitude of modern consumers which highlights an interesting trend, revealing that despite concerns regarding the safety of their private information, many of them still want to receive more personalised data from businesses.
This is usually found in the information that is sent to individual consumers. Organisations that used tailored marketing via email or web usually scored better with loyal customers.
The SAS study showed that 71% of the 1,260 people surveyed did have some concerns regarding the recent revelations of data observation. 60% still expected businesses to be aware of their preferences and to understand their needs. 59% noted that they f... [More]

A new piece in Business 2 Community has highlighted some of the key factors that should be considered when making a transition to a new CRM system. If you are considering making such a migration, then they are well worth taking a further look at the full article which cover 8 steps on having the right key points in the project.
Decide on (and stick to) your hard and fast date:
It is important to ensure that as part of the migration, you set a concrete date from which the new system starts to be used and ensure that everyone working with the software in any way sticks to it. If you do not keep to this, you run the risk of a problematic transition period where users are continual... [More]

A new piece in Business 2 Community has highlighted the importance of mobile devices in implementing an effective CRM strategy. What details, though, should you include as part of the mobile application? What makes an app valuable and useful?
Complete insight into planning
Whenever you're carrying out the work of actually implementing your customer relationship management strategy, one of the most important things to be able to access is the original planning documentation. How many customers or leads are you planning to communicate with? How are we going to engage with them? What topics do we think should be discussed? Having access to the original plan... [More]